Mazmur 15:2-5

15:2 Whoever lives a blameless life, ¹ 

does what is right,

and speaks honestly. ² 

15:3 He ³  does not slander, ⁴ 

or do harm to others, ⁵ 

or insult his neighbor. ⁶ 

15:4 He despises a reprobate, ⁷ 

but honors the Lord’s loyal followers. ⁸ 

He makes firm commitments and does not renege on his promise. ⁹ 

15:5 He does not charge interest when he lends his money. ¹⁰ 

He does not take bribes to testify against the innocent. ¹¹ 

The one who lives like this ¹²  will never be upended.

Mazmur 19:14

19:14 May my words and my thoughts

be acceptable in your sight, ¹³ 

O Lord, my sheltering rock ¹⁴  and my redeemer. ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 101:2-6

101:2 I will walk in ¹⁶  the way of integrity.

When will you come to me?

I will conduct my business with integrity in the midst of my palace. ¹⁷ 

101:3 I will not even consider doing what is dishonest. ¹⁸ 

I hate doing evil; ¹⁹ 

I will have no part of it. ²⁰ 

101:4 I will have nothing to do with a perverse person; ²¹ 

I will not permit ²²  evil.

101:5 I will destroy anyone who slanders his neighbor in secret.

I will not tolerate anyone who has a cocky demeanor and an arrogant attitude. ²³ 

101:6 I will favor the honest people of the land, ²⁴ 

and allow them to live with me. ²⁵ 

Those who walk in the way of integrity will attend me. ²⁶ 

[15:2]  ¹ tn Heb “one who walks blamelessly.”

[15:2]  ² tn Heb “one who speaks truth in his heart”; or “one who speaks truth [that is] in his heart.” This apparently refers to formulating a truthful statement in one’s mind and then honestly revealing that statement in one’s speech.

[15:3]  ³ sn Hebrew literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age.

[15:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “he does not slander upon his tongue.” For another example of רָגַל (ragal, “slander”) see 2 Sam 19:28.

[15:3]  ⁵ tn Or “his fellow.”

[15:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he does not lift up an insult against one who is near to him.”

[15:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “despised in his eyes [is] a rejected [one].” The Hebrew term נִמְאָס (nim’as, “rejected [one]”) apparently refers here to one who has been rejected by God because of his godless behavior. It stands in contrast to “those who fear God” in the following line.

[15:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “those who fear the Lord.” The one who fears the Lord respects his sovereignty and obeys his commandments. See Ps 128:1; Prov 14:2.

[15:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “he takes an oath to do harm and does not change.” The phrase “to do harm” cannot mean “do harm to others,” for the preceding verse clearly characterizes this individual as one who does not harm others. In this context the phrase must refer to an oath to which a self-imprecation is attached. The godly individual takes his commitments to others so seriously he is willing to “swear to his own hurt.” For an example of such an oath, see Ruth 1:16-17.

[15:5]  ¹⁰ sn He does not charge interest. Such an individual is truly generous, and not simply concerned with making a profit.

[15:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “a bribe against the innocent he does not take.” For other texts condemning the practice of a judge or witness taking a bribe, see Exod 23:8; Deut 16:19; 27:25; 1 Sam 8:3; Ezek 22:12; Prov 17:23.

[15:5]  ¹² tn Heb “does these things.”

[19:14]  ¹³ tn Heb “may the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart be acceptable before you.” The prefixed verbal form at the beginning of the verse is understood as a jussive of prayer. Another option is to translate the form as an imperfect continuing the thought of v. 14b: “[Then] the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart will be acceptable before you.”

[19:14]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “my rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor for protection; thus the translation “sheltering rock.”

[19:14]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and the one who redeems me.” The metaphor casts the Lord in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis.

[101:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “take notice of.”

[101:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “I will walk about in the integrity of my heart in the midst of my house.”

[101:3]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “I will not set before my eyes a thing of worthlessness.”

[101:3]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the doing of swerving [deeds] I hate.” The Hebrew term סֵטִים (setim) is probably an alternate spelling of שֵׂטִים (setim), which appears in many medieval Hebrew mss. The form appears to be derived from a verbal root שׂוּט (sut, “to fall away; to swerve”; see Ps 40:4).

[101:3]  ²⁰ tn Heb “it [i.e., the doing of evil deeds] does not cling to me.”

[101:4]  ²¹ tn Heb “a perverse heart will turn aside from me.” The adjective עִקֵּשׁ (’iqqesh) has the basic nuance “twisted; crooked” and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse (see Ps 18:26). It appears frequently in the Book of Proverbs, where it is used of evil people (22:5), speech (8:8; 19:1), thoughts (11:20; 17:20), and life styles (2:15; 28:6).

[101:4]  ²² tn Heb “know.” The king will not willingly allow perverse individuals to remain in his royal court.

[101:5]  ²³ tn Heb “[one who has] pride of eyes and wideness [i.e., arrogance] of heart, him I will not endure.”

[101:6]  ²⁴ tn Heb “my eyes [are] on the faithful of the land.”

[101:6]  ²⁵ tn The Hebrew text simply reads, “in order to live with me.”

[101:6]  ²⁶ tn Heb “one who walks in the way of integrity, he will minister to me.”